How to Promote a Personal Website

Building a personal website is like creating your own little corner of the internet, a place where you can showcase your skills, passions, and accomplishments. Whether you’re trying to share your resume, professional portfolio, sell something, or start a side project or business, a website is key. But to make it truly effective, you need to promote it.

Without visibility and website traffic, your work and passions won’t make it to your intended audience. But you don’t have to spend money on paid advertising to boost your site. Here are seven top methods for website promotion, from optimizing for search results to email marketing and social media.

1. Optimize your site for SEO

Getting visibility in search engine results is one of the most effective and affordable ways to promote your website. There are a handful of simple things you can do to optimize your site.

• Choose the right domain name. Your domain name is the unique URL people use to reach your site (like squarespace.com). Choose something memorable, relevant to your site, and easy to spell, like your name, brand, or a variation on either.

• Share high-quality content. Well-written, useful content that speaks to your ideal website visitor will draw people to your site and keep them coming back. It also makes it more likely that people will share your content.

• Know your target keywords and audience. Include top keywords for your area of focus in your website copy, including page titles and descriptions. For example, a photographer might include “tri-state area wedding photographer” on their homepage. That’ll help people find you when they look up relevant terms in search results.

• Optimize your site for mobile browsing. Many people do the majority of their web browsing on a mobile device now. Search engines reward mobile-friendly sites that read and load well on different-sized screens.

• Make sure pages load quickly. Site visitors are more likely to exit your site if pages or images are slow to load. As a result, search engines are less likely to boost your site if visitors aren’t sticking around.

• Get other people to link back to you. Other, reputable websites or newsletters linking back to yours boosts your trustworthiness and authority, which search engines reward. On top of writing quality, linkable content, try partnering with peers or writing guest blogs for other sites to get backlinks. Linking between your site and social profiles also counts.

Squarespace websites come with several of the tools you need to quickly optimize for SEO. Sites are pre-designed to be mobile-friendly and quick to load. You can get help choosing and registering a domain with our free domain search tool. 

Add a blog page to your website to start sharing your work and touching on target keywords in blog posts. You can even use Squarespace AI to help you draft your website content if you’re short on time.

Get our full guide to optimizing your site for search results

2. Use social media to your advantage

When it comes to promoting your website, it helps to be in more than one place at a time. If you don’t have social media accounts, consider starting at least one. Start by posting updates about recent projects and let your voice and style develop naturally from there.

If you have accounts or a following already, consider adding others that align with your content, like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest for more visual platforms, or Facebook, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn for more text-focused platforms.

No matter where you have a profile, create a link in bio with Bio Sites so you can share links to all of your content and important website pages with one URL. Add the link to your social media profiles to start driving traffic to your site from there.

Best practices for promoting your site on social media

Authenticity and sharing interesting posts are both important. There are a few additional best practices that can help you grow your audience and build a connection with the people following your account.

• Post consistently. Share new website content, engage with your followers, and respond to comments and messages. Regular posting will keep you top-of-mind.

• Keep interactions open-ended. Leaving comments, questions, and responses more open encourages interaction with your followers and can help you reach new followers.

• Collaborate and network. Get to know other content creators and brands in your community. Collaborating with them or setting up giveaways can help you reach a bigger audience. Don't be afraid to reach out and connect with like-minded individuals; you might be surprised by the opportunities that arise.

Get tips on creating a content calendar

3. Use email marketing

While social media gets more focus these days, email marketing is still a great way to build a lasting connection with an audience. With email, you’re not subject to posting or search algorithms and can link subscribers directly back to your website. 

Start by building an email list. You can add a sign-up box to your website where people can opt in to be on your mailing list. Make sure it’s in a place that’s easy to find. Try offering free incentives to attract subscribers, like guides or exclusive content for anyone who subscribes. 

You can set up an automated email to go out with your free incentive to anyone who signs up, so you don’t have to send each one manually. Test different incentives to see what earns the most interest. 

Once you have an email list, make sure to keep the audience engaged. 

• Send regular newsletters. You don’t need to email weekly, but share updates when you have them or promote your best products or content to keep people interested and informed.

• Read other newsletters. Other newsletters, especially within your niche, can inspire content for your own. But also think about how to differentiate your newsletter from those you read.

• Market around holidays or other seasonal shifts. If you sell something that’s more popular when school is in session or during the holidays, make sure to send promotional emails or discounts around those times. Freelancers could share quarterly updates on recent work and link to the project on their website.

Learn more about email marketing

5. Find where your audience spends its time

If you’ve created a website based around a hobby or side project, you’re probably also part of groups or communities related to it or know where people who share your interests spend their time.

• Find in-person opportunities to connect. Do you sell a physical product? Try joining a maker’s market or small business fair. Teach a class online? Consider taking your classes in person.

• Join forums and communities online. Participate in online forums, discussion boards, and social media groups related to your niche. Building relationships within your community can drive organic traffic to your website and establish you as an expert voice in your field.

• Find and engage with blogs. Leave insightful comments on blog posts within your area of focus. Include your website link where relevant, but always focus on adding value to the discussion. Engaging in meaningful conversations can help you establish yourself as an authority and someone folks want to hear more from.

The most important thing to remember when you’re in community spaces is that it’s about relationship-building first. Make sure you’re only promoting your website or services when it feels natural and like it would be meaningful to the person you’re talking to. Otherwise, focus on building genuine connections.

6. Get included in directories

Hard copy directories are mostly a thing of the past, but they’re one great way to boost your visibility online. Seek out opportunities to include yourself in directories where you’d be a fit.

• Try specialized directories. If you sell a service, like therapy, design work, or financial consulting, look for online directories focused on what you provide where you can create a profile or link your website.

• Get local. Many cities or communities have resources for nearby small business owners. See if there’s a way to list your website for people looking for someone locally.

• Make yourself searchable across Google. In addition to regular search results, you can show up in shopping searches, YouTube, or Google Maps searches using the company’s tools. Connect your store with Google Merchant Center to help people discover your physical products. Or create a business profile for yourself so you show up in local search results.

In most cases, it’ll be free or low-cost to get included in a directory. Some of these groups may also have an online presence elsewhere, like social media, where they could feature you and drive more website traffic for you.

7. Consider paid advertising

Sometimes, a little cash injection can be helpful in promoting your website. If you have the extra cash for it, paid ads are a simple digital marketing tactic to get more eyes on your website. 

Make sure you set a budget before you start. Think about where your target audience spends most of its time so you can prioritize the right ad platforms. And consider what would encourage someone seeing your ad to click through to your website. It doesn’t hurt to start with small tests to find the best place to invest.

• Buy Google Ads. Consider investing in Google Ads to target specific keywords related to your website. This can help you reach a broader audience quickly, but remember to budget carefully. Some keywords can be pricey, especially if you’re competing with big brands.

• Try social media advertising. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer advertising options. Use them to target your ideal audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Make sure to pick the platform that makes sense for your audience.

• Reach out to podcasts. Research podcasts within your niche and reach out to those podcasts for rate cards. Some can be quite affordable and if you choose your podcasts thoughtfully, they can bring the right attention to your site.

Remember, promotion is all about quality, relevance, and, most importantly, authentic engagement. Promoting your website is an ongoing process. It requires dedication, consistency, and a willingness to adapt to changing trends. Start with just one of the methods above—over time you’ll understand what works best for your website and be able to branch out.